Mein Bruder
by Life's Shadows
Summary: This is a Berlin Wall fic. It starts out when Prussia first finds Germany. Has implied violence and blood-it's a war, after all. DISCONTINUED
1. Memory 1: Becoming Found

I'm not sure if this is historically accurate, because I was too lazy to look some of the stuff up. Also, I totally believe that HRE became Germany. So there. Do not own!

I'm posting this a lot later than I intended to, I wanted to get more of it written out. Um, Italics are on purpose. I hope you like it!

_He was walking along the road, sniffling as he headed—well who knew where he was going; it's not like anyone he knew was looking for him. The men he had been with had died in the city behind him; either that or they had fled. He couldn't really remember…but then he couldn't remember anything else either. Not even his own name. _

"…" _He opened his mouth to say his name, but nothing came out. It was truly gone. He sniffled again and the ground blurred in front of him. He sat down suddenly, hugging his knees to his chest and resting his head on his folded arms, his shoulders shaking as he tried not to cry. _

"_Hey kid," a voice said. He jerked his head up, his eyes wide. A tall soldier stood in front of him, both fresh and dried blood soaked into his clothes. He had silver hair and red eyes, and his skin was very pale. _

"_What?" the boy asked, wiping at his face. He didn't see the man's expression change, softening slightly. _

"_Where are your parents, kid?" he asked. The boy shrugged in response, his gaze fixed off to the side. In one fluid movement the man was kneeling in front of him. The boy gasped as he looked up and met wide scarlet eyes, and he fell back against the slight bank behind him in fear. The man tilted his head, and his silver hair fell into his eyes. "What's your name?" The boy shook his head, pressing back into the dirt. The man sighed. "Come on, kid, you gotta at least tell me your name." _

"_I…I don't remember," he said. _

"_You can't remember your name?" the man asked. "Well you're a country right?" The boy nodded. "What country are you?" Tears welled up in the boy's eyes again and rolled down his cheeks. "Ah dammit. Don't cry kid, don't cry, it'll be okay." The man reached forward and put his arms around the boy, pulling him into a tight hug. The boy stopped crying in surprise as the man hugged him. "You start crying around here and someone is bound to come and try to take you. You want that to happen?" The boy shook his head. "Good. Then stop cry—oh, you did." The man had pulled back and looked at him. The man paused and looked up and down the road. "Well I can't just leave you here," he said on a sigh. "Somebody else would come and try to invade you. Probably those damn Brits." He stood up and held out his hand. The boy looked at it in confusion and then looked up at him. _

"_What?" he asked. _

"_Well come on," he said, wiggling his fingers. "We can't stay here. Let's get going." The boy hesitantly placed his small chubby hand in the larger slender one. The man pulled him to his feet and started walking down the road, keeping a firm hold on the boy's hand. "Hey kid, uh…we need a name for you. I can't just keep calling you 'kid' all the time." The boy shrugged. The man thought for a moment. "Hey, I got it! How about Ludwig?" The boy wrinkled his nose, and the man laughed heartily. "Well, you'll get used to it. I like that. Ludwig," he said. The boy looked up at him. _

"_What about you?" he asked. _

"_Hmm? Oh! I almost forgot!" The man swept his hat off and bowed to the boy. "You are in the presence of the awesome Gilbert Beillschmidt, country of Prussia, descendant of the mighty empire Germania!" he announced by way of introduction. The boy looked up at him dubiously. Gilbert dropped his hat on Ludwig's head, and it dropped over his eyes. He pushed it back irritably. Gilbert grinned. "It doesn't get much awesomer than me," he said with a wink. Ludwig huffed and crossed his arms. Gilbert pulled his arms away from his chest and clasped his hand again. "Let's go, Ludwig." The boy nodded and they continued down the road, the soldier's gold-trimmed blue hat perched precariously atop the boy's blond hair. _


	2. Memory 2: Becoming Bruder

Ah, I meant to get this up earlier, but at least it's up. In this chapter Ludwig is a little older.

_The boy paused at the top of the page, the line asking his name waiting patiently. He hesitated. It was still hard to think of himself as "Ludwig", even though he knew Gilbert liked that name for him. He hesitated a moment before signing "Ludwig B." at the top of the page. Of course, he had no idea if there was even a "b" in his name anywhere, but he thought it was a good letter. Besides, it was the letter that Gilbert's last name started with. The boy blushed lightly, though he would never admit that the thought of the older man made him very happy inside. He would also never admit that he had chosen the "B" so that he could be as close to Gilbert as was possible. _

_They had been in this town for a few months now. They were renting a room at a hotel that was right next to an orphanage. Gilbert had seen the children there going off to school and thought it would be a good idea if Ludwig joined them. He had registered the boy the very next day. For a last name, Gilbert had written "Das Verlorene," which Gilbert had told him meant "the lost". Ludwig didn't like that, but Gilbert assured him he could change it as soon as he found something better. _

_One day at school, Ludwig had stayed behind to talk to the teacher. He had waited until all the other students had left before approaching her at her desk. She had smiled at him and helped him understand the lesson. Then she said, "Hurry on home now, your bruder will be looking for you." Ludwig had jumped, blushed, nodded, and ran out of the room. She had called Gilbert his "bruder," his brother, and that made Ludwig happier than he would have thought. _

_Gilbert had been teaching the boy his language, and Ludwig liked the way his mouth had to move to form the right sounds. At the end of the first lesson, Gilbert had remarked that he was a natural at speaking German, like he'd been born to speak it. Ludwig had secretly glowed with pleasure at Gilbert's compliment. The silver-haired man didn't give them very often, so Ludwig treasured each one he received. _

_But now as he struggled through his assignment, he could hear a few distant voices. He recognized one as Gilbert's, and the others belonged to his teacher at school and the lady from the orphanage next door. Ludwig left his work and moved closer to the window, which was letting the voices in through the few inches it was open. Ludwig leaned closer. They were right under the window, but they were talking very quietly. He strained to hear the words. _

"…_Are you sure?" his teacher asked. _

"_Very," Gilbert said. Ludwig could picture him nodding. _

"_He won't like that," the orphanage lady said. "He has become very attached to you." _

"_A soldier's camp is no place for a boy," Gilbert said. Were they talking about Ludwig? He leaned closer. _

"_He won't want you to leave," the lady said. _

"_That's why I don't plan to tell him. I'll leave early in the morning. He will be asleep up in our room. When he wakes up…I'll be gone. I'd like for you to be there to tell him what's going on…" Ludwig didn't hear the rest of it. He was pressing his hands over his mouth to keep from making a sound. His shoulders were heaving in silence as tears rolled down his cheeks. Gilbert was planning to leave him? Why? Had he done something wrong to make Gilbert not like him anymore? He had to find out. _

_He flung open the hotel room door and ran down the hall and the stairs to the front door. He struggled with the doorknob for a moment before finally yanking it open. Gilbert was nodding to the ladies and turning to go down the front steps. _

"_Bruder!" Ludwig cried out, lunging towards him. Gilbert spun around at the sound of the boy's voice just in time to be tackled around the waist. _

"_Oomph! Ludwig, what are you doing?" he asked. _

"_Don't leave me, bruder! Please! I'm sorry if I did something wrong, I'll make it up to you! Please bruder, don't leave me here!" Ludwig sobbed, burying his face in Gilbert's stomach. Gilbert's fair skin lost any color it might have had. _

"_You…you heard?" he whispered. Ludwig nodded, his head rubbing against the man's shirt as he cried. Gilbert carefully placed his hands on the boy's shoulders, then he glanced up at the women. They were politely looking away. Gilbert dropped to his knees and hugged Ludwig tightly. "I'm sorry, Ludwig," he said softly. "I thought it would be better for you here. It's safe here, and you would have people to properly take care of you and teach you, not like I could." The boy pulled back and met the older man's red eyes, glaring at him. _

"_Anywhere my bruder is, that's where I belong too," Ludwig said. "If it's in this town, across the sea, or in a battlefield. I belong next to you, for always. So don't leave me, you idiot." Gilbert looked at the boy in surprise. His skin was red around his eyes from crying. He swiped angrily at his cheeks with the back of his hand, still glaring at the silver-haired man. Gilbert smiled softly and pressed his lips to Ludwig's forehead, smoothing out his scowling face. Gilbert hugged him. _

"_I'm sorry," he whispered. "Ich liebe dich…mein bruder." Gilbert wasn't sure he'd know what he was saying. He'd only mentioned those words once, in passing, and that had been a while ago… Ludwig clenched his hands in the back of the older man's shirt. _

"_Ich liebe dich…auch, bruder," he said against his ear. Gilbert smiled and closed his eyes, resting his head on the boy's shoulder. He'd understood._

A/N: So I think the German is pretty obvious, but if you want the translations just say so in a review. _  
_


	3. Memory 3: Becoming Germany

**The weirdest thing happened last night. After I put up chapter two, it somehow gave me the inspiration I needed to write chapter four. Weird. **

**I'm not sure if this is how it works in Hetalia, but in the beginning is when Ludwig officially becomes Germany. Um...so yeah. Hope you like it. The Italics end after this chapter!**

_Ludwig was so happy the day he became his own country again. Gilbert stood by his side and signed the papers that agreed to his independence. When the last signature had been added, Ludwig was handed the stack of papers that bore the signatures of all the other countries in the room. He stared down at them in shocked confusion. Gilbert's lay on top, his neat script practically screaming Gilbert's signature line of "I'm awesome!" He looked up at his brother in confusion. Gilbert gave him a tiny smile and a nod. _

"_You did it, Ludwig. You're your own country now," he said. Ludwig looked down at the papers, then took a shaky breath and set the neat stack gently on the table. He walked around it until he stood at the head of the room, and he slowly looked around at all the nations gathered there. He gave an imperceptible smile when he met his brother's eyes, and the older man gave him a cocky grin and a wink accompanied by two thumbs up for encouragement. Ludwig took a deep breath and placed his fist over his heart, bowing to the room just the way Gilbert had done so long ago when they'd first met. _

"_I, Ludwig Beillschmidt, country of Germany, do humbly thank you all from the bottom of my heart," Ludwig said. The crowd broke into applause, but none was so loud as his dear bruder, who gave a loud wolf-whistle as he straightened. Ludwig gave his brother a shy, almost nonexistent smile, which Gilbert returned with a broad grin, cheering loudly for him. Ludwig walked back around the table, other nations slapping him on the back and uttering words of congratulations as he headed back to his place next to his bruder. Gilbert was patiently waiting for him, his arms crossed and a smile lighting up his face. When Ludwig reached him, Gilbert pulled him into a tight hug. He brushed the blond hair back and leaned forward to whisper in his brother's ear. _

"_I'm proud of you, mein bruder," Gilbert whispered. Ludwig blushed almost unnoticeably and nodded. He and Gilbert took their seats as Arthur called the meeting back to order. Ludwig tried to pay attention to his first world meeting as a real nation, but Gilbert had reached out and put a hand on his leg under the table. He rubbed his leg from his knee up to his thigh, making Ludwig blush slightly. _

"_Bruder, stop it," he muttered. Gilbert leaned in to whisper in his ear. Ludwig leaned over so he could reach better. _

"_Hey Luddy, let's go out drinking after this. To celebrate your victory and all that," Gilbert whispered. He squeezed Ludwig's knee, making the younger man jump. His other knee hit the table with a loud thud, earning them glares from some nearby countries that were not friends of Gilbert. "We could have some fun." Ludwig blushed. _

"_Bruder—" _

"_Got something to share with the rest of us, Beillschmidts?" Arthur asked. The brothers looked up at him in surprise. Ludwig cleared his throat and shook his head. _

"_Nein. My bruder was just enlightening me to the status of a situation I was not up to date on," Ludwig answered calmly. Arthur blinked in surprise and turned back to conduct the meeting. Gilbert leaned in again. _

"_Nice save, bruder. That was a good cover," he whispered. "So how about it?" Gilbert resumed rubbing his thigh. Ludwig blushed and gave a curt nod, hoping that would stop his brother's actions. Gilbert grinned, his breath hot against the blond's ear. "Awesome." He pulled away and sat back up in his chair. Ludwig sighed, and the blush faded from his face. He managed to make it through the rest of the meeting without being distracted again. _

_When the meeting finally concluded, Gilbert practically dragged his younger brother from the room, the shorter man stumbling along behind the albino. Gilbert took him to a place called Die Weisse Dame, or, being translated, the White Lady. It was one of Gilbert's favorite places, having been named after an albino like himself. He shoved his way to the bar and claimed two stools for them. He called his order over to the bartender and then turned to the blond, grinning. _

"_Isn't this great?" he asked. Ludwig could barely hear him over the noise. The room was crowded with people, all of them drinking, dancing, and singing very off-key. It was beginning to give Ludwig a headache after the day he'd had. He put his hand over his face and rubbed his temples. _

"_It's so loud, bruder," he said. _

"_What?" Gilbert asked, leaning in. _

"_It's so loud, bruder!" he repeated. Gilbert just grinned. _

"_I know! Isn't it awesome?" Ludwig was about to deny any of this even resembling "awesome" when a large mug was shoved into his hand. "Come on, drink up!" Gilbert followed his own advice and raised the tankard to his lips, tilting his head back as he drained it. He set the empty glass back on the counter with a satisfied sigh. "Bartender, another!" he said, waving to get the man's attention. An identical cup slid towards him over the counter. Ludwig stared in disbelief as his older brother easily drained half of it, before noticing his stares and lowering the cup. "What?" he asked. Ludwig shook his head and stared into his drink. Gilbert slung an arm around his shoulders. "Come on, bruder, it's your first birthday!" A few people sitting near turned and gave them strange looks. Gilbert noticed this. "As a real adult!" he added. They nodded and turned away, and Gilbert drained his cup, leaning onto Ludwig's shoulder. _

"_Bruder…" Ludwig said. He had yet to touch his drink, yet the older man had already had two. Gilbert looked down at the younger's full glass and picked it up. _

"_Come on, Luddy!" he said, shoving the drink in his brother's face. Ludwig choked and gasped, pulling the beer from his brother's hand and out of his face. He coughed into his hand, and Gilbert slapped him on the back a few times. "You're supposed to drink it, not inhale it." Ludwig glared up at his brother, his face red from choking. "Here, I'll help you." Gilbert took a mouthful of beer from Ludwig's cup and leaned closer, offering it to him. Ludwig's face would have turned bright red if it wasn't already. Some beer spilled from the corners of Gilbert's mouth as his lips twitched up in a grin. Ludwig stared for a moment, then he put a hand over his elder's mouth and pushed him away. This time it was Gilbert who turned red as he choked on the beer, trying to laugh. Ludwig quickly drained his cup so his brother wouldn't get another chance to embarrass him. _

"_Good boy, Luddy!" Gilbert said. _

"_Bruder—" _

"_Two more!" he called. _

"_Bruder!" Gilbert turned to him. _

"_Was?" he asked. _

"_Should you be having that much?" Ludwig asked. _

"_Are you kiddin'? I have way more than this all the time!" Gilbert said. _

"_And you usually come home drunk," Ludwig said, sighing. Gilbert grinned. _

"_I'm gonna get you just as drunk tonight," he promised. Ludwig blushed and drank his beer to hide it. Gilbert quickly ordered more drinks. He leaned in and whispered in Ludwig's ear. "If you blush like that every time you drink, I'll have to get you drunk more often." _

"_Why, bruder?" Ludwig asked. _

"_Because you're so cute when you blush." Ludwig blushed even more at his brother's words. Another drink was pushed into his hand, and he and Gilbert raised their drinks together. Gilbert finished first and set his cup down on the counter, giving Ludwig a triumphant smirk. "I bet you I can drink more than you can." Ludwig looked over at him with a questioning expression. Gilbert nodded. "Five Marks. Five tankards in fifteen minutes. Wanna bet?" Ludwig stared at him for a moment, then he shrugged. _

"_Sure, bruder. Why not?" he said. He held out his hand and they shook on it. "But…ten Marks." _

"_Deal." Gilbert grabbed him and dragged him over to a small round table. "Hey bartender, give us ten!" he called. A cheer went up as the bartender brought them a tray loaded with the drinks. A crowd began to gather around them, the people grinning. Gilbert began to play the crowd. _

"_Five tankards in fifteen minutes! A little competition between us!" he said. The crowd cheered again. _

"_Ten minutes!" someone called. Gilbert just grinned. _

"_This virgin drinker—" Ludwig blushed "—against his very experienced older brother! What do you think? Who will win? Me?" The crowd cheered. "Or my brother!" Less people cheered for Ludwig, but they were louder, almost deafening. Gilbert gave a huge grin and sat at the table across from Ludwig as the bartender set the tray down. Gilbert grabbed his first, encouraging his brother to do the same. "Who will keep track of the time?" Gilbert asked. _

"_I will," a quiet voice said. A brown haired man stepped out of the crowd, pushing his glasses up his nose. Gilbert grinned up at him. _

"_Hey Roderich! Come for a rematch?" Gilbert asked. The country of Austria shook his head, holding a pocketwatch. _

"_Come to talk to your brother," he said. _

"_Mon ami!" Gilbert looked around and saw two men pushing their way to the font of the crowd. Ludwig recognized the countries of France and Spain, two of Gilbert's friends. _

"_Francis! Antonio!" _

"_Bruder." Ludwig's voice instantly caught Gilbert's attention, the quiet word heard clearly through the din of the crowd. Gilbert turned to him, grinning. Ludwig met his gaze with a serious expression. "Are we going to do this or not?" Gilbert nodded enthusiastically. _

"_Of course! Roddy, ready your timer!" Roderich stepped closer and lifted his watch. Gilbert looked at Ludwig over the edge of his mug. Ludwig was watching him. "One… two… three!" The crowd cheered as the brothers tipped their heads back. Roderich glanced between them and the watch. Gilbert took an immediate lead, but started slowing by his third while Ludwig plowed along at a steady pace. They'd started on their last ones at the same time…_

Ludwig couldn't remember now which of them had won. He only knew that the next morning he'd had a sudden urgent meeting with the toilet and hadn't been able to leave the house all day because of the way his head hurt. That had to have been the worst hangover in history. But as he stared up at the wall, he knew he'd readily live a thousand of those days, if only to have his bruder back again.

**Reviews make me smile and would help me write chapter five. **


	4. Ludwig

**My updates have been so sporadic. And I'm afraid they will continue to be so. **

When it started to get dark again, he turned and headed back home through the snow. Feliciano was there waiting when he walked up to the door.

"Ve~ Doitsu, you must be cold!" he said. He grabbed Ludwig's hand and led him to the couch. Feliciano wrapped a blanket around his shoulders as soon as he sat down and went into the kitchen. He soon came back with a bowl of hot soup. "Here, Doitsu." Feliciano handed him the bowl and watched him anxiously. The heat of the bowl in his hands pulled Ludwig from his thoughts.

"Oh…thanks, Feli." Feliciano smiled and sat down next to him, watching as he ate. When he finished, Feliciano took the bowl and went back into the kitchen.

Ludwig stared ahead of himself, old memories of time spent with his bruder filling his thoughts. No matter what he tried, he couldn't get Gilbert out of his head. He kept thinking of the older man, wondering what he was doing, if he was alright, how he was handling living with Russia. The tall, violet-eyed nation had cheerfully dragged Gilbert away, despite the albino's protests. Ludwig had let it happen. He thought it might teach his bruder some discipline, something he desperately needed to learn. Their world was not the same anymore. Gilbert couldn't go around killing and seizing other nations' lands like he used to. He had paid the consequences of his actions with the loss of his country. Ludwig had barely managed to keep him from death by giving him control over part of Germany. Though neither of them spoke of it, Gilbert was grateful to Ludwig for wanting to keep him around. The dissolution of Prussia had hurt him badly. He needed to know someone still cared.

Ludwig put his head in his hands. He regretted not stopping Russia from taking his bruder. Sure, it might not have made much of a difference, but he could have at least _tried_. Gilbert had found him and raised him, given him a new name and a family, someone to care about and someone who would care about him. Regrets and past mistakes would get him nowhere, though. He'd let his brother go without a fight and now they were both paying for it. Germany was in debt so deep Ludwig doubted he'd ever get out of it. Parts of his land had been taken from him and given to others. That was why Gilbert had been taken. Russia had been granted control over Eastern Germany, the part Gilbert controlled. What's more, soon after Gilbert had been taken, Russia had built that dreadful wall between them, right through the heart of his beloved Berlin.

He wasn't the only one suffering now. Hundreds of families had been torn apart, separated by meters of barbed wire, imposing stone walls, and armed Russian guards. Every day, some of his and Gilbert's citizens tried to get past the wall in any way they could, wanting so badly to get back to their families and friends. Some of them succeeded. Many of them didn't. Ludwig's attention was so focused on the wall, that he felt every death like a knife to his heart. He could only imagine the pain Gilbert was feeling.

Some time later, Feliciano came out into the living room to find Ludwig sleeping on the couch. He walked over to the tall nation and gently removed his gloves, boots, and jacket, then he moved Ludwig into a more comfortable position and tucked the blanket around him. He gave Ludwig one more sorrowful glance and turned the light out as he left the room.

Ludwig slept restlessly and was up before the sun. He looked over at the clock and saw it was five am. He stood and made his way to the bathroom in the dark. As he washed his hands, he stared at his reflection in the mirror. His hair was a mess and his blue eyes looked haunted, deep shadows hanging under them. He combed his fingers through his hair and went back to the living room, where he pulled on his boots, gloves, and jacket before he left the house. He headed back to the wall in the gathering light, and by the time the sun had risen behind the clouds, he was once again standing before it.

He couldn't help going to it every morning. It was the very symbol of the mistakes he had made, the pain he had suffered and the losses he'd experienced. It was stained with the blood of so many innocent lives. He always stayed until dark, sometimes very late into the night. Every day, he longed for some sign from Gilbert, saying that his brother was alright; a note, a word, even the sound of his voice would do. But he heard only silence from the other side.

He turned his head and watched as a middle-aged woman came up alongside him and beat her fists against the wall until they bled, screaming for them to let her see her son. Two young men ran up to her, likely other sons, and dragged her away. She struggled against them, yelling hoarsely to let her go, until they picked her up and carried her away. Ludwig stood there until the sound of her screams had died away. He drew off one glove and touched her blood on the wall, already beginning to freeze. This was all his fault. He knew that, and there was no one else to blame. He was causing his people, and therefore himself and his brother, immense pain by his refusal to act. The woman and her sons hadn't even seen him standing there.

He was all alone now. Austria and Hungary no longer came to see him, kept away by their bosses and the Allied powers. Only Feliciano had refused to leave him, crying and clinging to him after Gilbert had been taken. If it wasn't for the smaller nation, Ludwig might have very well starved on his own. He only ate when the brunet forced him to.

Ludwig continued to stand there staring at the wall, barely noticing the wind as it ruffled his hair. He turned and walked along the wall, still staring at it as the snow crunched under his boots. He reached out and ran his gloved fingers over it. He sighed.

"Bruder…I hope you're okay."

Gilbert stared up at the wall, the sky gray beyond its edge. He punched the concrete, and let the tears run down his face as he slid to the ground.

"Ludwig…I need you."


	5. Gilbert

Gilbert remained sitting there for a long time, ignoring everything around him, even when it started to get dark. A set of heavy footsteps approached him, but still he didn't move.

"Gilbert?"

He shivered at the fake concern in the childish voice.

"Gilbert, you're going to get sick if you sit out in the cold, da?"

Gilbert ignored him and stared up at the wall, the top of it nearly invisible in the darkness. The footsteps came closer.

"Gilbert."

The tone of that voice was different now. When the sun went down, Russia gave over to his dark side.

"Fuck off, Russia," he said. The footsteps moved close enough that he could feel the warmth of the other nation on his back. A large hand suddenly closed around his throat and pulled him up into the air. He grabbed onto that hand as his feet dangled above the ground. He was turned so that he could see Russia, that dangerous grin stretched across the childish face. Russia raised his pipe in his other hand, and Gilbert closed his eyes so that he wouldn't see as Russia pulled it back in order to hit him. He screamed loudly as his blood painted the wall behind him a slick scarlet. Russia dropped him to the ground and continued to beat him until he could barely move, his screams the only sound in the dark city.

Gilbert hoped every time that his bruder would hear him and come get him, but it never happened. He wondered what Ludwig was doing on the other side. Was he happy there, now that Gilbert wasn't around to annoy him? Maybe he never came to the wall, never was close enough to hear him scream. Or maybe Ludwig only visited during the day. After all…

Gilbert only screamed at night.

**Sorry this chapter was so short compared to all the others. Unfortunately, I've run out of ideas for this story. I know where I want to go with it, just not how to get there. So I have no clue when I will update it next. I've been thinking of writing a short unrelated fic until I get more ideas for this one. Reviews would really help me continue! **


	6. Prussia

The next morning Ludwig awoke extra early. He sat in bed for a moment, wondering what had woken him, when he felt a stirring in his chest. His people were rising up. They'd had enough; they wanted the wall down. Ludwig quickly showered and dressed, then left a note telling Feliciano where he'd gone. He made it to his boss's side as soon as he could. He quickly dragged the man into a heated discussion. Something had to be done.

**/gimme a break gimme a break break me off a piece of that kit-kat bar!/**

Gilbert moaned weakly as he lay in the bloody snow. Russia had left him there not long before, probably to go get drunk. The sun slowly peeked over the horizon. There was a sharp gasp behind him, then hurried footsteps in the snow and someone knelt beside him. He was carefully turned onto his back and his pried his eye open to see who was there. A girl who vaguely reminded him of Hungary stared at him worriedly. Her lips moved, but Gilbert heard nothing. She brushed his hair out of his face and gasped as she saw his empty eye socket. His face contorted in pain as he was struck by a coughing fit, blood running from his mouth. She carefully wiped it away with a corner of her dress.

"Danke, fraulein," he said before he succumbed to the darkness.

When he awoke, he was in an unfamiliar place. He stared in confusion at the ceiling, then turned his head to look around the room. It was sparsely decorated, a table the only other furniture besides the couch he was lying on. He moved his arms and winced as pain shot through him. A shadow filled the doorway.

"Oh, you're awake!" He looked over and saw a woman he did not know. "We thought for sure you would die, your injuries were so bad. But Heidi wanted to bring you here anyway."

"Heidi?" he asked weakly.

"Our daughter. She found you out in the snow, said you'd been beaten half to death by a tall Russian man. What were you doing out by the wall?" His eye widened.

"She saw him?" he asked.

"Only briefly. He passed a shop she was in and she watched him walk by. She noticed the blood on the pipe he carried, and she went in the direction he was heading away from. That's how she found you. Lucky she did, too, you might have died." She came and knelt next to him, wiping the dried blood from his face with a warm, wet cloth. He winced. "Sorry. What were you doing by the wall?" she repeated.

"Waiting for it to fall," he muttered. She sighed.

"Ah, if only it would. Our city seems so sad with it there. It's just not the same here anymore." He nodded.

"East and West should not be separated," he whispered. A man stepped into the doorway.

"He's alive then?" he asked. The woman looked up.

"Yes, and well enough to talk," she said. The man walked around and looked at him over the back of the couch.

"Something must be wrong with you, messing with a Russian soldier." Gilbert mustered a grin.

"It's not me that's messed up, it's him." The man smiled.

"Least he didn't kill you. We don't need anymore Prussian blood spilt." Gilbert's eye snapped open.

"Prussian?"

"Ah, yes, well…" He waved at a shadowy corner of the room. Gilbert looked over and caught his breath. There near the ceiling hung the Prussian flag. Gilbert slowly got to his feet despite the woman's protests and walked over to the flag, running his hands along the edge. "My father lived here when it was still called Prussia. He drove it into our heads that we were Prussian citizens. When Prussia was…well, we came to call ourselves East Germans. My father still calls us Prussians, though, and I guess he's rubbed off on me a little." Gilbert nodded, tears running down his face as he listened.

"Konigreich Preussen," he whispered.

"Ja. You know it?" an elderly male voice asked. Gilbert turned to see another man watching him. Gilbert touched the flag, and then touched his heart.

"Prussia…" he whispered. The man's eyes widened in recognition and he moved closer.

"Mein meister. My lord. My nation, beloved Prussia…" He took Gilbert's head in his hands and kissed his forehead. Gilbert held the man's wrists, and then let himself be pulled into a hug, crying into the old man's shoulder. The man held him firmly, whispering Prussian words into his ear. Gilbert smiled through his tears and pulled back to look at the man's face.

"I think I met you before," Gilbert said.

"Ja, when I was a boy. I met you on an old battlefield. You saved my life. I knew you then like I know you now. How are you doing?"

"It…it gets lonely over here. I only have Russia for company, and see what that does." Gilbert gestured at his body. "I miss my brother."

"You have a brother?"

"Yes. West, or, Germany. I've never been apart from him so long, not since I first found him." He paused, the smile that had shown when he spoke of Ludwig fading. "The wall is killing me," he whispered. The old man searched his desperate face.

"It's killing all of us. My brother is on the other side too, along with my other son and my daughter. They caught us by surprise, and then it was too late to go over. We've been stuck here since it was first built," the old man said.

"I'm stuck here too," Gilbert said quietly. The man looked at him sympathetically.

"Let's hope it comes down soon," he said. He walked towards the doorway the younger couple had come through, gesturing for Gilbert to follow him. It was a kitchen. The old man poured two glasses of good German beer and handed one to Gilbert. The man held up his own. "To the end of the blasted wall, and to seeing our brothers again." Gilbert smiled.

"I'll drink to that," he said.

**Second in order of popularity, it seems this story is of mine. Gilbert lost an eye in the latest beating, but it doesn't seem to be bothering him all that much, yeah?**


	7. Germany

**Look, it's another chapter! It's been so long since I touched this story, I really tried to give it the same feel as the previous chapters, but I'm not sure how well I did on that. **

**This chapter focuses on the things Ludwig did as Germany in order to get rid of the Wall. It's brief, and probably not historically accurate, so I'm passing it off as it being kept a close secret, because if people had found out about it things would have happened much differently. **

**Some of my reviewers pointed out that Gilbert and Ludwig had erroneously used Euros in a previous chapter. So I went and looked it up. It turns out that the Euro did not become common currency until the late 90s into the next decade. I'd also like to point out that (even though I didn't really think about it before now) the first three chapters all take place before WW1. Chapter 3 would have taken place in 1871 as the formal unification of Germany. (Germany was still a young country then, he was still growing, and a bunch of other significant historical stuff happened after this time.) After the unification the common currency was the German Mark. I went back and fixed it in the chapter. **

Ludwig slaved over an endless pile of paperwork that his boss had given him. He'd already spent days working on the pile, and so far it had only grown in size. It would take weeks, or maybe even months, but he was willing to do anything to get his brother back. He'd go to the ends of the earth and back if it would help.

"Doitsu?" The door creaked open and a soft voice came through it, accompanied by a head of brown hair. Ludwig brushed a hand over his already immaculate hair and then waved him off.

"Not now, Italia."

"But, Doitsu—"

"I said not now. I have work I need to do."

"But, Doitsu, it's been six hours since you've eaten. According to the s-schedule you gave me, it's time for your break." Feliciano continued to peek at him around the door, acting as though he thought he'd be yelled at or hit. Ludwig raised his head and looked at his clock. It read a quarter past eight pm.

"Ah, you're right. Thank you for reminding me." Feliciano nodded and shrank behind the door as Ludwig stood. He stretched his arms out and scratched the back of his neck. "I'll be down in a few minutes." Feliciano nodded again and left the room. Ludwig took a quick bathroom break and headed downstairs, taking a seat at the kitchen table. Feliciano set a plate of food before him.

"I added some sausage this time," he said, still speaking quietly. "It's not German sausage, but I did my best." Ludwig nodded and picked up his fork.

"Thank you, Italia." Ludwig hardly paid attention to what he was eating, his mind too caught up in other things. Feliciano hovered nearby until he ate everything on his plate, then he quickly took the dirty dishes away. He soon replaced it with a single slice of torte on a smaller plate. Ludwig blinked at it, then looked up at Feliciano in surprise.

"You made apple torte?" Feliciano nodded.

"Ah, si. I've been practicing, I wanted to surprise you." Ludwig looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Thank you, Feli. I'm sorry I've been so busy lately." Feliciano smiled at him.

"You're welcome, Doitsu." Ludwig ate his dessert and then Feliciano picked up his dirty dishes. He leaned in and quickly pressed his lips to the blond's forehead before he hurried over to the sink and started washing the dishes. Ludwig blushed and touched his fingers to the place Feliciano had kissed him.

Feliciano focused on washing the dishes until he heard a snore behind him. He stopped what he was doing and looked back over his shoulder. Ludwig had fallen asleep in his chair at the table. Feliciano smiled and dried his hands, then he walked over and carefully lifted Ludwig from his chair. He carried him out and laid him on the couch in the living room, draping the blanket from the back of the couch over his sleeping form. He brushed his hand over Ludwig's hair and kissed his forehead again.

"Sleep well, Doitsu."

**Brief, and slightly suckish. I'm sorry! The next chapter will be longer and will actually go somewhere. It's in the works.  
**


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